Tales from Winter Camp
by lfvoy
Summary: A collection of short vignettes written as responses to the 100 Situations challenge, Table #2. See the author's note for individual summaries and ratings. On Temporary Hiatus.
1. Author's Note

**Author's Note**

* * *

This is a collection of responses to the 100 Situations challenge (see the LiveJournal called 100-situations). I am using Table #2 for _Earth 2_, general series.

**Make It Go Away** (prompt: disease), 597 words, Devon/Danziger, rated K. So this is what Devon looks like when she wakes up in the morning. It's not what he expected.

**Normal Biological Functions** (prompt: bathroom), 840 words, rated K. Using the trees was fine when they were moving. It's not such a good idea at Winter Camp.

**Slow Turn** (prompt: delirious), 553 words, Julia/Alonzo, rated K. How many times will he have to say it before she believes him?

**Leaf Season** (prompt: autumn), 1,258 words, rated K+. Eben keeps a secret.

**Treasure** (prompt: river), 894 words, Morgan/Bess, rated K. Morgan finds gold.

**Out of Hibernation** (prompt: sunset), 709 words, rated K. Devon's original estimate for the transit time to New Pacifica keeps inching upward.

**In All Fairness** (prompt: relief), 628 words, a hint of Devon/Danziger, rated K. Why does Walman always fall asleep on watch?

**Perpetual Memory** (prompt: silence), 667 words, rated K. Yale had hoped never to hear silence again. He never thought he'd come to crave it.

**New Pictures** (prompt: night), 759 words, Julia/Alonzo, rated K. Some of G889's differences aren't found on the planet.

**Unwelcome Answers** (prompt: cry), 1,241 words, Devon/Danziger, rated K+. True has questions, but she's not sure she'll like the answers.

**Called Out** (prompt: fair), 773 words, rated K. Alonzo cheats at cards.

**Tag** (prompt: allergy), 723 words, rated K. Julia finds a message where she doesn't expect one. _(Special note: the original 591-word version was posted on October 7, 2008. This revised version was posted on October 13.)_

**Final Words** (prompt: death), 560 words, rated K+. Sometimes the best words are words already said.

**Memory Games** (prompt: table), 1,057 words, rated K. Table games are sometimes more than boards and playing pieces.

**Peace Without Quiet** (prompt: early), 761 words, rated K. Alonzo realizes there's been a change.

**Relativity** (prompt: criminal), 824 words, rated K. Just what is the difference between right and wrong on Planet G889?


	2. Make it Go Away

_Earth 2_ is copyrighted material of Amblin Entertainment and Universal Studios. This is a fan story intended for entertainment purposes only. No monetary payment has been received or will be accepted for this work, and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended or should be implied.

* * *

**Make It Go Away  
**_Prompt: Disease_

* * *

John Danziger groaned inwardly at the sound of True and Uly arguing – again – right outside his door, disturbing his concentration. Maybe if he ignored the argument, it would go away.

No such luck. The argument grew in volume until, disgusted, he put down the meter he was calibrating and went out into the common room. "Hey, hey, that's enough."

They didn't react, as if they seemed to think ignoring _him_ would make him go away. "Hey! _Hey!_"

True finally turned to him, lowering her voice. "He wasn't going to use it until I wanted to."

"Was too!"

"You were not."

He sighed and reached for the sled's hooks. "Come on, outside, both of you. I'll teach you how to share."

Somewhere in the middle of the exchange, Devon had appeared. Her rumpled clothes suggested she'd been asleep. Frustrated, he pulled the sled down. "Those two have really got to learn how to get along."

"I wouldn't worry too much about it. I think they're going to grow up to be very good friends."

That sure didn't sound realistic right now. Was she still half asleep or something? He hefted the sled and turned to look at her. "What makes you so sure?"

"I don't know. I just – ah, I just have this feeling." Her speech was a bit slurred. "They'll be fine."

Yeah, still at least half asleep. If not more.

He suddenly noticed the pulse beating at her throat, the heavy-lidded expression on her face. So this is what she looked like right after waking up. It wasn't what he'd expected. She always acted like she jumped out of bed, ready to attack the day. She never seemed the kind to be all soft and sleepy-warm, so damned _attractive_.

Danziger gave himself a mental shake as he turned away to follow the kids. "Whatever you say."

At his door, he took the excuse to turn and look back. She was still standing there, blinking herself the rest of the way awake. When she reached up and smoothed her hair, he suddenly had a vision of doing it himself, waking her up slowly and deliciously.

_Right. _ He shoved the biodome's door open with more than the usual force, causing it to slam back against its hinges. That'd be just what he needed, to overstep his bounds and, if he was lucky, only be on the receiving end of a well-deserved slap. Adair might not be made of stone, but she definitely wasn't soft.

Following the kids' tracks towards the ridge, he found himself wondering whether his hands would slip through her hair as easily as they did True's, even in the morning when it was rumpled, or whether they'd catch and pull at every single tangle like they did in his own hair.

The idea just wasn't going to leave him alone, was it? Closing his eyes, he gave himself a mental _and_ physical shake. _You're getting this bug bad, aren't you, John? _

Ignoring the kids hadn't done much good, but maybe if he ignored this, this would go away. After all, it was only ignoring himself.

Better to ignore it than seek out one of Julia's concoctions -- assuming she had one that could take care of it in the first place. It would have helped, he reflected, if that elder hadn't pointed out that he had the disease in the first place.

He crested the ridge, finding two young faces turned expectantly toward him, and laid the sled down on the ground. "Okay, come here. Let's figure this out."


	3. Normal Biological Functions

_Earth 2_ is copyrighted material of Amblin Entertainment and Universal Studios. This is a fan story intended for entertainment purposes only. No monetary payment has been received or will be accepted for this work, and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended or should be implied.

* * *

**Normal Biological Functions  
**_Prompt: Bathroom_

* * *

Danziger looked up when True slid out from underneath the Dune-Rail, where she'd been checking electrical connections. "You got them all done that fast?"

"Not done," she answered, laying the meter on one of the seats. "I've got to pee. I'll be right back."

"All right." He bent over his own task again but looked up a second later. "True."

"Yeah?"

"Bio-dome's that way."

She made a face. "Someone's always in there. I'm going out to the woods."

"Oh. Okay." He started to go back to cleaning and resetting the solenoids, but then stopped and looked up again. Thoughtful, he watched her head away from camp and behind the trees.

* * *

Tonight was going to be another cold one, so they lingered in the bio-dome after dinner. After cleaning his plate, Danziger went over and sat down next to Cameron, who was talking to Mazatl.

"I'm not sure," said Cameron. "I haven't really had a chance to study the drainage patterns, so I don't know if it'd end up in the stream."

"The soil wouldn't simply absorb the waste?"

"I don't know. I haven't had a chance to look at that either. Even if it did, it might poison the land."

Mazatl frowned. "It's a normal biological function. How could that be?"

"Do you really want me to give details about composition? Besides, we're not on Earth. The biology is different here."

"What's going on?" asked Danziger.

"We're discussing how we could expand the toilet facilities," answered Mazatl. "There's enough piping for me to build a rainwater-flush system."

"But we don't know where we'd send the waste water," said Cameron. "What brings you over?"

He chuckled. "Exactly that. I didn't really think about it until True told me she was going into the woods today. That's fine for a day or two but it can't be a good idea for as long as we'll be here."

"It isn't," said Cameron. "It'd start breeding diseases and God knows what else." He turned to Mazatl. "What about using some of those prefab sections to build holding tanks like the bio-dome toilet has?"

"They aren't designed to _hold_ liquid. Only to protect against it. They'd burst under the pressure."

"That'd be worse than leaving things the way they are now." He sighed. "I wish we had some way to treat the waste water. I wouldn't worry so much about it then."

"What were you planning for the colony?" asked Danziger.

"The chemicals were in Pods 4 and 6. I've gone through what we have, but couldn't find anything else that would work. I even asked Yale to go through his files, but he couldn't find anything either."

Cameron was the closest they had to a chemist, so if he couldn't come up with a substitute, there probably wasn't one. Danziger thought for a minute and then beckoned Yale over. "Maybe there wasn't anything in the files on systems design or chemistry. What about history?"

* * *

They didn't find it in the history files; rather, of all places, it was in information about recreation. Camping had apparently been something of a leisure activity on Earth, though none of them could imagine how it possibly held any appeal. Regardless, campers had sometimes stayed in the same place or in large groups, so they'd had to develop solutions.

Flush toilets weren't going to work. But pit toilets would. Cameron repeated his concerns about poisoning the soil, but he admitted that, done right, they could limit any effects strictly to the area around the toilets. He found a workable location off to the edge of the campsite, and Mazatl drew up a plan for an outhouse with three private stalls.

"Our group is sixteen people," he explained. "Including the bio-dome, this would give us one stall for four people. Minimum standard on the stations was one for five." Some of the ops crew had snorted at that – there were places in the Quads where one for ten was doing well – but everyone pitched in to dig the toilets and build the outhouse.

"Just remember," said Cameron as they finished. "Every time you use this, you have to be absolutely sure you've covered everything with dirt afterward." He pointed at the pile they'd left in one corner. A shovel hung on the wall nearby.

Baines groaned theatrically. "Might be better just to keep going out in the woods if it's only a –" he broke off, seeing True and Uly listening closely. "If it's just to take a leak."

"Maybe for the men," said Bess, "but we ladies see it a little differently. True? What do you think?"

She nodded firmly. "It's real easy to make a mess, even when you're just peeing."

"That's right. So," Bess asked brightly, "who's going to be the first to try it out?"

Everybody suddenly needed to look anywhere else but at the outhouse. There was the sound of several throats clearing.

Bess laughed and shrugged. "All right. I'm sure someone will 'christen' it before too long. It's a normal biological function, after all."


	4. Slow Turn

_Earth 2_ is copyrighted material of Amblin Entertainment and Universal Studios. This is a fan story intended for entertainment purposes only. No monetary payment has been received or will be accepted for this work, and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended or should be implied.

* * *

**Slow Turn  
**_Prompt: Delirious_

* * *

The first time he said it, she'd responded by saying he must be delirious.

That was Julia, always assuming that he wasn't serious. Not that she didn't have reason, of course, but he'd meant what he'd said. But they'd had plenty of time; it was a long trip to New Pacifica. Heck, she might even be right to keep her distance. So he'd laughed and ignored the tiny little pinprick of pain inside.

In hindsight, the second time he'd said it, he may very well have been delirious. Some sort of odd, cold-like bug was working its way through the camp. It was ultimately harmless, but it included a fever so high that some of the more light-skinned in the group actually had burns. Alonzo had tried to brave it out when it was his turn, but he'd never been very good at things like that.

Julia had smiled, a mixture of skepticism and indulgence in her expression, and replaced the cool cloth on his face.

He definitely wasn't delirious the third time he said it, on the beach at what they thought was New Pacifica. He could see in her face that she knew it, too. She'd had no reply other than to turn away. Later, in the caves, when she let him kiss her in a place that was outside their tents, he'd thought she believed him.

But when they got back, Julia never mentioned it and she still kept their interactions light and playful. They were involved, yes, but she kept a part of herself back. "It's for both our protection," she said. "To keep us from getting hurt when the time comes." And he'd realized she hadn't believed him.

In a group this small, it wasn't always the best idea to unburden your soul to someone else. Secrets are best kept when unshared. So Alonzo had kept the hurt to himself and focused on other things.

Or so he'd thought. Even though winter was waning, they still weren't quite ready to break camp and that meant facing more days with nothing but time on his hands. Julia, of course, had plenty to keep her busy, but sometimes things were so far over his head that he was more of a hindrance than a help to her, so he'd stay away. In those times of enforced boredom, he sometimes got to thinking, and he wasn't always able to push it out of his head.

He wondered whether he really had been delirious when he first thought she would believe him.

Until one day Bess had looked at him with an odd expression, and then she'd come over and sat down beside him. "Alonzo, give it time. She'll come around."

"Will she?"

"It was hard enough for you, wasn't it? It's even harder for her to believe you." She smiled. "After all, six months ago you were counting the days, minutes and hours until you could get off this planet."

He looked at her sideways. "Sometimes I wonder if she is still counting."

"She isn't. She just doesn't know it yet." With another enigmatic smile, she stood up and walked over toward another part of the dome. Alonzo wondered just how many more times he might have to say it before Julia believed him.

_I think I'm going to stick around._


	5. Leaf Season

_Earth 2_ is copyrighted material of Amblin Entertainment and Universal Studios. This is a fan story intended for entertainment purposes only. No monetary payment has been received or will be accepted for this work, and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended or should be implied.

* * *

**Leaf Season  
**_Prompt: Autumn_

* * *

Closing her eyes, she lifted her face to bask in the warm sunlight. "Leaf Season," her mother might have said on days like this. It'd be cold again after nightfall, but right now she gave in to the impulse to open her jacket and feel the air against her skin. Seasons were one of the few things she'd missed, once she'd gotten up to the Stations, and autumn had been her favorite.

A rustling sound came from her right, followed by a childish sound of dismay. "Oh, no! I didn't mean to do that!" True was frantically gathering up the dead, dry leaves and examining the tree branch. She met her gaze, frantic. "I promise all I did was brush up against it. I didn't mean to kill it!"

"It's okay, True," she answered. "There's nothing wrong with the tree. It's just fall."

True stopped mid-gather. "There's nothing wrong?"

"Nope," she answered. "The trees are getting ready for winter, which means the leaves change colors and start falling off. If you hadn't brushed against the branch, the wind probably would have knocked them off."

"Oh." She dropped all but one of the leaves in her hands and turned that one over, examining it. "Why's it all yellow?"

"It's dried up. I'm don't know exactly why, but I bet Yale would. You can ask him next time you have class."

True made a face at the idea of that and dropped the leaf. "You sure know a lot about this. How did you learn? I thought you lived in the Quads like the rest of us."

Caught, Eben couldn't think of an answer that wouldn't give her away. Chastising herself for being careless, she tried a diversion. "Have you found any more of those berries? Devon and your dad wanted us back before dark, and if we catch Cameron in time we can use them for dinner tonight."

By way of response, True picked up her basket and showed it to her. It was mostly full. "I knocked the leaves off 'cause I was getting a few more off the tree."

"All right. Let's go ahead and start back."

"Really, Eben, how'd you know that about the trees? Are you an Earth-res or something?"

She decided the girl was entirely too sharp for her own good. "I just heard it around. Come on, let's go."

True stayed where she was, looking closely at her. "You _are_ an Earth-res, aren't you? Why haven't you said anything?"

The child was entirely too stubborn, as well.

Sighing, Eben bent down so that she and True were mostly eye-level. "You know how people talk about Earth-residents on the Stations."

"But things are different here. It's really helpful to have Bess around because she's an Earth-res. You must know an awful lot of stuff about living on a planet too."

"It's just...complicated, True. Nobody knows because nobody ever asked, and I'd rather keep it that way. Okay?"

"Oh," answered True. "I get it. Mazatl doesn't know."

She should have known better than to think nobody would notice the two of them. "You're right. He doesn't."

"Well, I won't tell him." She picked up the basket and started walking. "I don't think anyone would talk about you here. Nobody talks about Bess, and Morgan doesn't seem to mind."

She looked after the child's departing form, wondering whether she should explain that it wasn't the same situation. Bess wasn't going back to the Stations, like she was; and Morgan's influence buffered her from the worst of the treatment.

A gust of cold air blew up, making her shiver under her jacket. Zipping it up, Eben suddenly wished things really were as simple as True seemed to believe.

* * *

Flustered, Walman paused just inside the tent flap. His entrance hadn't been quiet, and an exit wouldn't be either, so he decided leaving wasn't the best idea. He settled for starting an intense study of the tent poles.

"It's all right, Walman."

He blew out his breath and looked toward the med-tent's cot. Eben was still lying in it, eyes closed, body utterly still. A blanket and some extra tenting material lay on the ground at the foot of the cot, but Mazatl was kneeling next to it. He wiped the last of the dirt and sweat from her face, dropped the cloth into a bowl, and sat back on his heels before looking up.

"I, ah, I came to tell you that Zero's finished digging."

"Yes. We need to wrap her up. I know."

"Julia said she's still willing to help --"

"No. That's fine."

"Maz, it's not like you have any obligation to her. You broke up, what, a month or two ago?"

"A little longer." He stroked the side of her face. "But it wasn't bitter." Her skittish nature and his taciturn one simply hadn't been compatible. "She was a good woman, a fine person."

Fumbling at nothing with his hands, Walman moved to the foot of the cot. "Yeah, she was. She didn't deserve to die like that."

"She didn't deserve to die at all, especially not on a planet. That's not what she wanted."

"Especially not on a planet?"

Mazatl pulled at Eben's shirt, straightening it and folding her arms across her chest. "She hated the idea of being buried in the dirt." Which was, of course, exactly what was about to happen. "I never understood why until a couple of weeks ago. True asked me if we ended it because she was an Earth-res."

"An Earth-res?" asked Walman. "I didn't know Eben was an Earth-res."

"Neither did I." When he'd said that to True, she'd suddenly looked guilty and stammered that she'd thought Eben had told him. She'd asked him not to give away that she'd accidentally broken a promise. He hadn't.

"That explains a lot," commented Walman. She'd sometimes known unusual things, things that often didn't make sense right away for anyone except Bess. During winter camp the two of them had formed a friendship based on that odd commonality of knowledge, that way they sometimes understood each other without discussion. Neither woman had been inclined to discuss it.

Bess had also tried to be here, but she was so sick she could barely stand. Now that Eben was gone, she was the worst off, which, Walman realized, made sense. They both likely had some weaknesses in their immune system, caused by childhood exposure to toxins and economic hardship.

Mazatl had picked up the blanket and started wrapping her up. Blinking, Walman moved to help him, supporting and turning the body as gently as possible. She couldn't feel it, of course, but she still deserved gentle and respectful handling.

"I'm surprised she kept it a secret," he said as they finished with the blanket.

"I'm not," answered Mazatl. "She was adamant about going back to the Stations."

"Even though she seemed to like it here sometimes?"

"Everyone likes it here sometimes. Not everyone likes it enough to think about staying."

"That's true." Walman picked up the nylon material and they finished wrapping her, securing the cloth with straps from the Trans Rover.

"I just wish," said Mazatl softly, "that keeping the secret had turned out to be worth it."

Outside, they could hear the others in the camp moving toward the headland, voices subdued, gathering for the funeral. Walman opened the tent flap, secured it back, and they bent to pick up Eben's body. In the warm sunlight, the yellow outer wrapping rustled and crackled, sounding just like autumn leaves.


	6. Treasure

_Earth 2_ is copyrighted material of Amblin Entertainment and Universal Studios. This is a fan story intended for entertainment purposes only. No monetary payment has been received or will be accepted for this work, and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended or should be implied.

* * *

**Treasure  
**_Prompt: River_

* * *

Bess sat up, startled. It was the middle of the night and camp was quiet but for its usual soft sounds. She'd never had a Terrian dream and the Grendlers weren't quiet. So what had woken her up?

Rolling over, she found the answer: she was alone. "Morgan?"

He was seated on a crate at the other side of their tent. The lumalight on his far side was turned to minimum, rendering him as nothing more than a silhouette, but that was all she needed to know. He was hunched over his gear, adjusting the settings and muttering softly to himself.

"Gold," she heard him whisper. "It's pure gold."

Sighing, Bess wrapped the covers tighter around herself and flopped back down on her side of the cot. Morgan and his VR programs. Sometimes she had to remind herself that he was the best thing that had ever happened to her.

* * *

He was cheerful at breakfast the next morning, showing no sign of having spent half the night creating his latest VR program. Bess smiled and tried to ignore the warning bell sounding in the back of her mind: Morgan wasn't a morning person. He was never good company at breakfast.

Morgan was nearly jiggling when he brought their bowls over and sat down next to her. She looked him up and down. "You're in an awful good mood this morning."

"I sure am," he answered. "Guess what: I've found it, Bess! I found the thing that'll make us famous on this planet and maybe even back to the Stations. People will remember our name for generations!"

"Morgan!" she whispered. "Don't you remember what happened last time?"

"No, no, Bess, this is different," he assured her. "Nobody's going to get hurt this time."

"That's what you thought last time." Nobody in camp had been permanently hurt during the incident with the Morganite, but they'd never found Mary. She'd only had a coat as protection against the bitter weather. Bess still prayed that she'd found a safe place.

"I learned, all right? And I can't wait to show you. What detail are you on today?"

"Laundry." They had gathered fresh snow before breakfast and put it into a container to melt.

"Oh, that's _perfect!_ Once you've got a chance why don't you slip off for a minute. I've got to show you!"

"The laundry's going to take a while --"

"I know, I know, but this won't! I promise!"

She chuckled. He was so much like an enthusiastic child sometimes. "All right."

* * *

Later that morning, after they'd finished stringing the clothesline around the edge of the bio-dome, she pleaded the need for a short nap and slipped out. Morgan was supposedly out gathering wood but she wasn't surprised when she opened the tent flap and found him.

"Oh, you're here! You made it. That's great!" Before she could even get her coat off, he grabbed her arm and led her back outside, shrugging into his own coat on the way. "Come on, I've got to show you. It's gold, Bess, pure gold!"

She stopped short, causing him to stumble. "Morgan, we are _not_ mining this area. You know that."

"Who said anything about mining? Come on!"

She allowed him to pull her out of the perimeter, though she made a point of keeping a mental map so they could find their way back. This was a direction they hadn't explored much yet, since the terrain became rocky and, due to the snow, slippery nearly as soon as they left camp. "Morgan, be careful!"

"Hurry up! It's not far!" He was jiggling with impatience again.

"I'm coming." She finished climbing up to his level and let him lead her around an outcropping. When she saw what was there, she gasped. "Morgan!"

"I know. Isn't it great? It's like I said -- gold! Pure gold!"

Bess knelt down by the stream, marveling that the water was still liquid despite the sub-freezing temperatures. Its course led away from the camp, down the hill in another direction. "Morgan, what is it? Is there gold somewhere along the way?"

He dropped down beside her. "I followed this, all the way to its end. I found a river, Bess! A real river, and the equipment says the water's pure, none of that scary charged stuff. We don't have to depend on melting snow anymore!"

This time, Bess' smile was genuine. She should have known that Morgan wasn't going to do anything foolish. She threw her arms around him. "Oh, Morgan, this is wonderful! What are you going to call it?"

"That's the thing. I found it; I get to name it -- the Morgan River! Of course, I guess this would be the Upper Morgan River, since it probably runs out of the mountains to wherever, but people are gonna remember his, and when they do, it'll be with our names!" He fell back away from her embrace, laughing as he sat on the ground and swung his arms wide. "We'll be famous, Bess!"

Mirroring his laugh, she sat down beside him and looked at the creek. Gold, he'd said. He was right. Fresh water was always a treasure, and rivers usually ran to the coast. This might even be the way to New Pacifica.

And Morgan had found it. He really was the best thing that had happened to her.


	7. Out of Hibernation

_Earth 2_ is copyrighted material of Amblin Entertainment and Universal Studios. This is a fan story intended for entertainment purposes only. No monetary payment has been received or will be accepted for this work, and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended or should be implied.

* * *

**Out of Hibernation  
**_Prompt: Sunset_

* * *

She'd been struck dumb the first time she saw a sunset on G889. It was the night after they'd crashed, before they even had had a chance to determine their position. She'd had a thousand different worries on her mind, but when she'd looked up and seen the kaleidoscope of colors, they had all fled to the back of her awareness for a few minutes.

It was the first time Devon had understood, on an emotional level, just how much had been lost as the old Earth succumbed to the destruction its children wrought. Back when Eden Project hadn't been any more than a desperate idea, she'd decided that she wouldn't allow a repeat of the environmental disasters and devastation. But it wasn't until she saw the sunset that the decision became a vow.

There had been more sunsets since then, of course. In fact, she'd found herself occasionally forgetting just how special a sunset could be. Tonight was one of the nights she had to make an effort to remember.

They might not make it in time.

She'd originally estimated nine months to New Pacifica, naively thinking that they'd be able to travel 20 kilometers every single day. That had been proven wrong within a few days of their departure, but the two extra months she'd added to the re-calculated figure still left them with well over a year to set up the colony once they arrived.

That was before the approaching winter had forced them to set up a semi-permanent camp. Yale didn't believe that the winter would last long enough to keep them from arriving at New Pacifica before the colony ship, but when she'd pressed, he'd admitted he couldn't be certain they would have enough time to set up unless they left here very soon.

Devon sighed and tried to remind herself that it was a miracle they were still here at all.

"Mom?"

She looked down to see Uly beside her, his eyes staring up from between hat and scarf. "I didn't hear you come up."

"You looked like you were a million klicks away."

She forced a laugh, for his sake. "Not quite so far. Only a few thousand."

"You're thinking about New Pacifica again, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am." She knelt down so that she would be at his eye level. "What are you doing out here? It's going to be dark soon."

"I know," he answered equably. "I just wanted to watch the sunset with you."

Her smile this time was genuine, and she put an arm around his shoulders. "Thank you. I'm glad to have someone else I can share it with."

Uly accepted her arm around his shoulders, leaning in against her. "Don't worry, Mom. We'll make it in time to set up the colony."

"I certainly hope so."

"We will. You'll see. The Terrians say it won't take that long."

She frowned a little at that statement. "The Terrians don't have the same sense of time that we do, sweetie. And we can't swim through the earth the way they can."

"I can. I bet I could go there right now if I wanted to. But even if you can't, we'll still get there. It's going to be spring soon. They're already out of hibernation, you know."

"No," she said quietly. "I didn't know."

"Well, they are. So we'll be out of hibernation again soon too." He looked at the sky. "You're missing the last of the sunset."

Above them, the reds and oranges had shaded into purples and blues. Devon put her other arm around Uly and hugged him close as full darkness fell. She hadn't really thought of Winter Camp as hibernation before, but the comparison made sense. It also made sense that the Terrians wouldn't come out of hibernation until spring was near.

As the stars came out, she smiled, realizing that his words had replaced her despair with hope.

There had been a time, not too long ago, when she'd been afraid she would never have the opportunity to watch a sunset with her son. She'd been beyond delighted when her fears had been proven wrong. This new world had pleasantly surprised her more than once. Maybe, she thought, it wasn't done doing so.


	8. In All Fairness

_Earth 2_ is copyrighted material of Amblin Entertainment and Universal Studios. This is a fan story intended for entertainment purposes only. No monetary payment has been received or will be accepted for this work, and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended or should be implied.

* * *

**In All Fairness  
**_Prompt: Relief_

* * *

He was awakened by a sharp jab to the bottom of his foot. "Wha – huh?"

Magus kicked at his foot again. "Walman, can you _ever_ stay awake on watch?"

Still muzzy, he mumbled, "I'm awake."

"Yeah, you are now."

"I'd've heard it if something was wrong," he protested. "I wasn't that far asleep."

"Uh-huh," she answered. "Just like you heard me walk up. Well, go ahead. My shift."

He handed her the mag-pro and stood up to leave.

"If things were fair," she continued, "you wouldn't sleep a wink the rest of the night."

Shrugging his shoulders, he said good night and went into the bio-dome to get a warm drink before he went to sleep. He opened and closed the door quietly, his lumalight turned down to minimum so he wouldn't disturb anyone with light or sound.

There was a light already on in the main dome. Sighing, he snapped off the lumalight and followed the light to find Devon sitting at one of the tables, dark head bent over the charts in front of her. "Dev?"

She looked up. "Oh. Hi."

"It's three o'clock. You're up late." _Again_.

"It's that late?" She leaned back in the chair, but made no move to get up. "I guess I just got caught up in what I was doing."

This time he said it. "Again."

She had the good grace to look embarrassed.

"Third time this week," he observed conversationally.

She turned her gaze back to the charts.

Shaking his head, Walman went to the kitchen and started to pour two mugs of Bess' latest coffee substitute. He stopped with his hand on the thermos lid. Coffee might not be the best idea. Putting the thermos back, he rooted around the supplies until he found some of those leaves they'd discovered back in autumn, the ones that made a halfway decent tea.

She took the mug when he brought it back to her. "Tea?"

"Yeah. You don't need coffee right now." He reached for the charts, intending to shut the readers off. "You need sleep."

Devon touched his hand gently, stopping him from turning off the readers. "I'll go to bed when I'm done with this."

"Dev, what are you doing with those maps that can't wait?" He gestured with his mug. "Look around! We're not going anywhere anytime soon. They'll still be here in the morning."

She wouldn't meet his eyes. "I, ah, I just…" She sighed. "I can't sleep."

"I didn't think so." He sat down in the chair across from her. "What's going on this time?"

She smiled a little. "Haven't you listened to me enough this week?"

Walman chuckled softly in response. "I've always got time to listen to you."

"What about you? Don't you need some sleep?"

"Don't worry about it," he said. "I'm fine." She didn't protest when he reached over to turn the readers off this time. "Come on, talk to me. You won't get to sleep until you do, you know that."

"All right." She took a deep breath. "You can't tell Danziger I told you about this."

"Do you really need to say that anymore?"

She nodded. "You're right. I don't." Then, looking down at her hands, she started to talk about their latest argument. It was another one of the pointless ones, the kind that was most likely to leave her frustrated and amused and incredulous and feeling a dozen other emotions all at once. Walman just listened, knowing that she needed to talk it out in order to calm herself down enough to sleep.

As he listened, a part of him remembered Magus' words. _If things were fair, you wouldn't sleep a wink the rest of the night._

Little did she know, he thought. Little did she know.


	9. Perpetual Memory

_Earth 2_ is copyrighted material of Amblin Entertainment and Universal Studios. This is a fan story intended for entertainment purposes only. No monetary payment has been received or will be accepted for this work, and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended or should be implied.

* * *

**Perpetual Memory  
**_Prompt: Silence_

* * *

It was never silent on the stations.

It's not completely silent here, either. He can hear the crunch of his boots as he walks across the dry soil; the rustling of branches as they catch the wind; the quiet hum of the generator in the background. But they're soft noises, small and insignificant when compared with the overwhelming silence of this world.

He'd hoped never to hear silence again. He never thought he'd come to crave it.

It's not silent inside his mind. The name repeats itself in time with his steps. _ Brayden Croix, Brayden Croix, Brayden Croix._ He'd said he didn't remember too many of the details yet. It was a polite fiction. He remembered everything. He just wasn't ready to face all of it yet. He still isn't, and wonders if he ever will be.

When he banishes the name from its march through his consciousness, other memories emerge in its stead. He'd had a wife, two children. His son would have been eight when he was arrested; his daughter, twelve. He'd left a wife without her husband, children without their father, all for the sake of his conscience.

He wonders what part of his conscience would have led him to risk tearing his own family asunder.

His children are lost to him, of course; thanks to the ten-year cold sleep between his conviction and assignment and then the twenty-two-year cold sleep to reach G889, they're biologically older than he is now. The physical distance is secondary, irrelevant; his family is gone forever.

He understands, now, why he's so drawn to Devon and Ulysses Adair. Their family, too, has been ripped apart. Devon was so young when her mother died. Uly doesn't even know who his father is. Now they're both light-years away from their extended family, not that there was much to begin with.

She's released him from servitude, but he stays: it's atonement for the destruction of his own family.

Memories of his wife, his children, coil around themselves in his mind until he fears he might go mad from the sound of them. It's a valid fear, he thinks. He came within a hair's breadth of going mad when the memories returned the first time. As much as he wishes not to forget, sometimes he wishes he could stop remembering.

When he tries to pull away, to focus on the here-and-now, the memories hide in the shadows of his mind, ever ready to return at the moment his thoughts fall silent.

His thoughts had been silent in the first years after his mind wash and retraining. There was little inside except facts and information. His only true knowledge, at first, was that he was a distinct individual. His programmers hadn't given him any understanding about the nature of that unique person. A mind wash was supposed to remove personality as well as memories.

He knows now that that's why the all of the mind wash programs – the Yales, the ZEDs – ultimately failed. Personalities can't be safely removed. Suppressed, yes. Adjusted, yes. But removed, no.

At the time, though, the silence inside his mind was deafening. Maddening. He'd wholeheartedly thrown himself into his role as Devon Adair's tutor simply because it filled the black, aching void within his mind. It worked and saved him from the fate of many of his comrades. He survived, and while he knows now who he was, he also knows he will never be that person again.

The name and memories march through his mind, repeat themselves until he'd beg if it would render them silent once more. But they're no longer his. Thirty-two years of cold sleep and twenty-four years of servitude have created an impenetrable wall of silence between the person he was and the person he is.

He needed to have remembered, to have learned he isn't a criminal. But now he often finds himself wishing the memories would retreat back behind that wall and leave him in peace on this new world.


	10. New Pictures

_Earth 2_ is copyrighted material of Amblin Entertainment and Universal Studios. This is a fan story intended for entertainment purposes only. No monetary payment has been received or will be accepted for this work, and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended or should be implied.

* * *

**New Pictures  
**_Prompt: Night_

* * *

It was still as cold as ever, but for a change the wind had died down this evening. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Julia and Alonzo slipped behind her tent instead of going straight in once they left the fire. From behind her, he wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head on her shoulder. The moons hadn't yet risen, and the tent blocked the camp light, so most of the stars in G889's night sky were visible.

Leaning back, she followed his gaze skyward, looking at the bright points of light, mentally drawing lines between them to create pictures. In terms of stellar distances, they weren't that far from Earth. But it was just enough that the stars were in slightly different places, and of course, there was one bright star that looked _very_ different than it did from Earth.

Behind her, Alonzo sighed. "I guess we'll have to start drawing new pictures."

So he'd been thinking about the same things she had. "I imagine so."

"Let's give them better names this time."

She chuckled. "I'm sure that the people who named Earth's constellations thought the names were pretty good. They just got old."

He blew a wisp of her hair away from his face. "So let's pick names that _won't_ be old a thousand years from now."

"Julia? Alonzo?" They stepped apart to see Uly standing on the side of the tent with them.

"What's the matter?" asked Julia.

"What are you looking at?" His voice only indicated curiosity.

"The stars," she answered, hoping it would satisfy him enough that he'd go away. It wasn't that she didn't want to see Uly, but sometimes privacy was nice.

"Oh." His eyes flicked up. "What do you see?"

She closed her eyes briefly to push the annoyance to the back of her mind. To her surprise, when she opened them she saw Alonzo crouched down next to Uly, pointing at the sky. "Thousands of years ago on Earth, people looked at the sky and drew pictures using the lines between them."

"You mean constellations," said Uly, "like Orion and the Big Bear. But none of them are right here."

"It's a new world," answered Alonzo. "We need new constellations."

Deciding that she might as well join them instead of dwelling on the lost privacy, Julia knelt down on Uly's other side. "We were just drawing some of them."

"That doesn't explain why the stars are all messed up."

"All messed up?" she asked.

"Yeah. Look at them. They're flickering. The stars didn't do that when I looked at them from the stations."

"It's the atmosphere," said Alonzo. "The stars aren't flickering; you're just seeing some reflections from the air moving around up higher."

"Is that why the colors aren't the same? The atmosphere?"

"That's right. It's something you have to adjust for when you're plotting a course from a planet. You have to remember that the stars are actually a little bit different than they look." He pointed again. "Do you see that one?"

"Which one?" asked Uly.

Alonzo gently guided Uly's head until it was pointed at that unique bright star. "That one."

"Yeah," he said slowly. "It's different. Which one is it?"

"It's the Earth's sun."

"Cool," he breathed. Then he looked at Alonzo, cocking his head to one side. "What's its name?"

"I'm sorry?"

"What's its name? We can't just call it 'the sun' anymore, can we?"

Alonzo started to explain the different names for different stars. Julia sat back on her heels, watching. She'd never seen this side of him before. Of course, she'd never asked him questions with the childlike wonder that Uly had, and of all the topics Alonzo might be patient about, this was probably the most likely. She found herself smiling.

The thought sprang unbidden to her mind. _He could be a pretty good father._

She blinked, startled. Where had _that_ come from, and why was she even thinking about it? Neither she nor Alonzo were likely to have children. People in their professions often didn't, and she'd never even imagined it.

Julia glanced at them again, wondering. She'd never imagined seeing the cocky pilot she'd met back at the stations patiently explaining stellar phenomena to a child, either. She'd assumed that he was simply tolerating Uly and True. He certainly gave that impression most of the time.

But things were different now, and over the winter she'd seen a quiet settling of his demeanor. Maybe, she thought, there are new pictures in other places besides the night sky.


	11. Unwelcome Answers

_Thanks for the reads and comments!_

* * *

_Earth 2_ is copyrighted material of Amblin Entertainment and Universal Studies. This is a fan story intended for entertainment purposes only. No compensation has been received or will be accepted for this work, and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended or should be implied.

* * *

**Unwelcome Answers  
**_Prompt: Cry_

* * *

Her dad had been gone an awful long time. The glare from the sun was starting to hurt True's eyes, and she wished she had her sunglasses with her. She'd tried crawling under the blankets again, but then she couldn't see anything, and Dad and Devon might get back and not realize she'd stayed with the Dune-Rail like she'd been told.

She already knew that her dad intended to have "a discussion" with her about her stowing away in the first place. There was no need to make it worse.

True closed her eyes, which soothed the dryness but did little against the bright, harsh light. Where _were_ her dad and Devon, anyway? It shouldn't take this long to go get Sheppard. It shouldn't even take two people at all.

She decided to try putting her hand over her eyes. That helped some, and she was back to wondering about the adults when she heard the gunshot. It sounded like it came from the cave entrance! True jumped out of the 'Rail, eyes forgotten. "Dad? Devon?"

No answer.

_This is a dangerous place, True. If I tell you to stay somewhere, I expect you to stay there._

But if someone had a gun, wasn't it _more_ dangerous not to hide instead of staying out in the open like she'd been told?

True scampered for the nearest stand of rocks, which happened to be the ones next to the cave entrance. Despite the proximity, they offered the most places to hide. She darted behind one of the rocks and crouched down, listening for anything dangerous.

A second later, she heard voices coming toward her. True flattened herself against the rock, trying to figure out which direction they were in, before she relaxed. It was her dad. They must be all right. She stood up and started to walk around and greet them before she heard what he was saying.

"I know. I know, Devon. Just hang on, you hear me? Hold on. I'm here, I'm here."

She'd rarely heard him use that tone of voice, and never with an adult. True could hear the faint sound of crying.

"Hold on to me. I know. I'm right here. Hold _on_, Adair. We've got to keep going." A firmer tone had come into his words. "We have to get to the 'Rail, get back to camp. Come on, you're going to make it."

True risked peeking around the rock at them. Her dad had his arms around Devon, who was weeping on his shoulders. She could see that one of his hands was shaking as it stroked her hair, and she didn't understand the expression on his face.

What had happened? And where was Sheppard?

Her dad turned slightly and caught sight of her. "Go back to the 'Rail, True."

"But where's –"

"_Go_. We'll be there in a minute."

She went. Behind her, she could hear her dad speaking softly to Devon again, urging her toward the vehicle. True climbed into the back to wait, but it was still a couple of minutes before they emerged from behind the rocks.

Devon seemed to be in a daze, and her dad had his arm around her, not speaking now but still with that mysterious look on his face. When they got to the 'Rail, she stopped and stared numbly. Without comment, her dad picked her up and lifted her into the passenger seat. "Come on. We'll be back soon. Uly's waiting for you."

"Uly?" Devon's voice was almost a whisper.

"Yeah. He misses you."

"Uly." She began to cry again.

True's dad reached forward and wiped some of the tears off her face with his thumb. Then he caught Devon's chin and tilted her face up until they were looking in each other's eyes. After a second, she jerked her chin out of his hand, her sobs stopping although tears still ran down her face.

Her dad sighed. "All right." He crossed around the front of the 'Rail toward the driver's seat, but he stopped before getting in and looked at True. "Sheppard's not coming."

"Why?"

"We'll talk about it back at camp."

She swallowed and slid all the way into the seat. She was pretty sure she wasn't going to like what her dad was planning to tell her. The only question was whether it would be before or after their "discussion."

* * *

"How long do you think it will be until she's all right?" asked True later that night, after they'd left Devon in the bio-dome. She was dressed for sleep, but it was taking an unusually long time for her dad to brush her hair out this evening. It must have gotten more tangled than she'd realized.

"Devon's pretty tough. She'll probably be acting normally in a few days, once she gets over the shock and things get back to normal," he answered. "But she's also probably going to be sad for a while."

"Did she love him?"

"She says she did." He stopped brushing and picked her up. "Come on, let's get you tucked in."

She squirmed. "Da-a-d. I can do it myself."

"I know you can, True-girl." He did it anyway, laying her down on the cot and pulling the covers up around her. "Just put up with your old dad for once, huh?"

Since he'd already finished, it was silly to do anything else. True looked up at him. "You're going back out there, aren't you?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I am."

"You really care about her, don't you?"

Her dad leaned back and rubbed a hand over his face. "Everyone's been asking me that lately."

She was confused. "Well, you do, don't you? Who else has been asking?"

He shook his head. "Never mind. Go on and go to sleep, sweetheart. I'll be back before long."

True still had a lot of questions, but she guessed he wasn't likely to answer any more tonight. That odd expression was back on his face again. "All right. Good night, Dad."

He leaned down and kissed her forehead before he stood up. "Good night, True-girl. I love you." Standing up again, he switched out the light. She heard him cross to the door and open it in the darkness.

But he didn't close the door behind him like she expected. Instead, she heard his footsteps stop. He stood in the door, silhouetted against the light spilling in from outside. "True?"

"Yeah, Dad?"

"Would it be okay with you if I did...care about her?"

She frowned in the dark, but didn't sit up. "She's a part of the group. I thought you already cared about all of us."

"Yeah." His voice sounded a little strained. "I do."

"So why wouldn't it be okay?"

There was a pause before he answered. "No reason, I guess. Get some sleep, sweetheart." He let the door close behind him.

Still frowning, True rolled over in the dark, pulling the covers closer. Why had he asked her that? Her dad cared about a lot of people, and he'd never asked if it bothered her before. Why would it start bothering her now?

Unless maybe he'd meant it differently somehow.

She stared into the darkness, remembering the odd look on his face when he'd held Devon while she cried. Was that why he'd asked? _Did_ he mean something different this time? If so, then what?

It took her a long time to get to sleep.


	12. Called Out

_This story was also submitted for the prompt of "look" in the Writer's Choice LiveJournal community._

_Author's Note: I do not know how to play poker, so any mistakes in rules or terminology are unintentional._

* * *

_Earth 2_ is copyrighted material of Amblin Entertainment and Universal Studios. This is a fan story intended for entertainment purposes only. No compensation has been received or will be accepted for this work, and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended or should be implied.

* * *

**Called Out  
**_(Prompt: Fair)_

* * *

"All right," said Cameron. "Let's take a look."

They laid their cards down on the table one by one. Alonzo, always one for the flash, took his time with his hand. It wasn't until he laid the last card down that his reason became clear.

From Cameron's right, Danziger made a rude noise. "Straight flush. Figures." He threw his cards down, revealing three of a kind. "Last time I'm dealing. Someone else can feed these things to Solace."

Gathering the markers from the middle of the table, Alonzo responded with a wicked smile. "Still got it, kid. Never lost it."

"Right." Walman shoved back from the table. "I'm out. Lost enough already."

"Oh, come on, Walman, don't be such a pain." Alonzo gathered the cards. "One more hand. I'll deal."

"Look, you're not doing chores anytime between here and New Pacifica. Isn't that good enough?"

Alonzo responded by throwing his markers back into the middle of the table. Paper was far too precious to be used for chore poker, so they'd set up a system of notched twigs. The bits of wood clattered loudly in the bio-dome's evening silence.

"Pot's full," said Alonzo. "Opening bet, one. Who's in?"

Muttering something under his breath, Walman sat back down. They played quickly, not speaking beyond what was necessary. This time, it was Danziger who called the look from Alonzo's left. They laid their cards down.

"Damn you, Solace!" Walman's face was flushed pink. "Where'd you get that Ace? Don't tell me that just came out of nowhere."

"That's what they call me, man," laughed Alonzo, gathering the pot again.

"That's what you had up your sleeve, too," said Cameron.

A shocked silence fell around the table.

Baines, who had been uncharacteristically quiet this evening, was the first to break it. "Is that so?"

Cameron nodded evenly. "He's been hiding it since the deal before last."

"And you know this because?" Alonzo's tone was tight, almost angry.

"Because I saw you do it. You switched it out with something else during the last hand."

Baines shoved the pile of twigs back into the middle of the table. "Count the cards. Not you," he snapped when Alonzo began to reach out. "You stay still." He shoved the cards over toward Walman. "You're the one he fleeced out, you do it."

He counted them quickly, sorting them by suit. "Fifty. Two of spades and ten of diamonds missing. Where are they?"

Sheepishly, Alonzo tugged the two out of his sleeve and threw it into the middle of the table. "There's the two. You must have dropped the ten, because I don't have it."

"I doubt it." Walman stood up. "Where is it, Solace?"

"I don't have it! I swear! Look," Alonzo pulled his jacket off, dropping it onto the floor. He wore short sleeves underneath. "There, no sleeves. You see any cards?"

With daggers in his eyes, Walman picked up the coat and turned it inside out, searching the pockets as well. He blinked, startled, the angry expression replaced by confusion. "It isn't here."

"Stand up," said Danziger. "It could be under his leg."

"It isn't –" at expressions hardened around the table, Alonzo broke off and stood up, stepping back and raising his arms. "See for yourself."

There were no cards anywhere.

"Huh," said Danziger thoughtfully. "Maybe it fell out somewhere and we never noticed."

"Maybe." Walman sat back down. "But he did have the two. Which means it's time to settle up." He gathered the twigs from the table with a meaningful look at Alonzo. "Hand over the rest of yours."

"Oh come, on Walman, it's just in fun –"

"Markers. All of them. Now."

With an injured look, he dug them out and threw them into the middle of the table. Walman started distributing them around the table, going around the circle as if he were dealing the cards. Nobody moved until he was done.

"I think that's fair," he said in conclusion. "Gather 'em up, gentlemen. And I'm not playing again as long as Solace as at the table."

"Neither am I." Baines collected his markers and stood up. "Fair play's common courtesy."

"I'll say." Danziger reached for his markers at the same time Cameron did. The table was small enough that their arms bumped as they drew the piles back, but neither man noticed until there was a small _clack_ as the ten of diamonds tumbled out onto the table's surface.

Cameron froze as all eyes turned to him.

Alonzo, who'd stood up to leave, sat back down. He glared across the table. "I guess it takes one to know one, doesn't it?"


	13. Tag

_The original version of this response was posted on October 7, 2008. This revised version was posted on October 13, 2008, after I read some of the first reviews. _

_Folks, you caught me: I didn't realize I'd left some explanations out. Hopefully this rewritten version will make things a bit clearer. Thank you for letting me know!_

_By the way, because I got asked: no, I am neither a geneticist nor a biologist._

* * *

_Earth 2_ is copyrighted material of Amblin Entertainment and Universal Studios. This is a fan story intended for entertainment purposes only. No compensation has been received or will be accepted for this work, and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended or should be implied.

* * *

**Tag  
**_(Prompt: Allergy)_

* * *

Julia stood in the entrance to the med-tent and smiled as she watched True and Uly, giggling, playing a game of tag. They raced back and forth, around tents and obstacles, periodically dragging in a passing adult or stopping to argue about who was "it." It was a safe way to work off excess energy, she knew, and goodness knows they all had an abundance of nervous energy right now. She hoped that winter would break soon.

She stretched and heard vertebrae pop before letting the flap close behind her and sitting back down at the table. In an effort to keep her mind occupied, she'd taken to comparing Terrian tissue samples against Syndrome patients' samples that were in her database. There was no question that the Terrians had healed Uly of the Syndrome, and they were all reasonably sure that they would be able to heal the other Syndrome patients. Julia wanted to know how.

She hadn't found any unusual amino acids in the Terrian DNA, just the four that were a part of human DNA. The pair matches were the same also – adenine to thymine, cytosine to guanine. The key, then, had to be in the sequence.

The DNA sequencer had one of Uly's samples installed, visually slicing it in half to display one side of the amino acid sequences. She turned it back on and moved the display forward. And frowned.

TAGTAGTAGTAGTAG

_That can't be right_, she thought. Even in the non-used parts of DNA, amino acid sequences aren't repeated like that. She reversed the display to show the other side of the DNA strand.

ATCATCATCATCATC

At least, she mused, still frowning, it was a match. But it didn't explain why the exact same three-pair sequence was repeated five times. She made a note in her log and advanced the display again.

Her frown deepened and she amended the log, advancing the display three more times before she found the end of the pattern. It had been repeated a total of twenty-three times.

She took Uly's sample out of the sequencer and called up one of the stored database samples from another Syndrome patient. "Advance to analysis point eight-theta and display sequence."

TAGTAGTAGTAGTAG

"Reverse."

ATCATCATCATCATC

Taking one of her own tissue samples, she loaded it in the reader and advanced it to the same point. No pattern was present. Julia chose three more of the Edenites' samples at random. No pattern. Only Uly displayed it. It was a safe hypothesis, then, that this sequence was unique to Syndrome patients.

But why would Uly still have a Syndrome patient's DNA sequence after he was healed?

Julia sat back for a minute, thinking. Then, without entirely knowing why she did it, she reached for one of the Terrian samples and loaded it into the sequencer. "Search for pattern," she ordered, giving it the odd repeated sequence.

It only took a second for the sequencer to identify that there were two exact matches. Terrian DNA contained _two_ sets of the sixty-nine pair sequence. One was at the same place as Uly's sequence; the other was toward the end, in the area where Terrian DNA strands were longer than human's.

Julia went back to the Syndrome sample. Only one sequence was present. She then went to Uly's sample, doing a before-and-after analysis to discover that he now bore two of the odd sequences. As with the Terrians, the second sequence was in the additional DNA.

She couldn't help starting to feel a little giddy. This was a clue! She settled down to study the sequence, the letters scrolling across her vision.

"Tag!" she heard Uly call from right outside the tent. "Tag, tag, tag, tag, _tag_! You're it!"

Julia froze.

Thymine, adenine, guanine. TAG.

This odd pattern repeated the word "tag" twenty-three times. The pattern occurred elsewhere in DNA sequences, but the word's appearance ordinarily tended to be random.

Twenty-three times. The human cell had twenty-three sets of chromosomes.

_Tag_, she thought. _You're it._

She took deep breaths, willing her mind to settle. It was a coincidence, nothing more. In terms of mathematical probability, it wasn't impossible for this exact repeated sequence to occur naturally.

_It's just unbelievably unlikely_, she finally admitted. _Genetic engineering is the simpler explanation._

The simpler explanation often tended to be the correct one.

Julia closed her eyes and shivered.


	14. Final Words

_Earth 2_ is copyrighted material of Amblin Entertainment and Universal Studios. This is a fan story intended for entertainment purposes only. No compensation has been received or will be accepted for this work, and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended or should be implied.

* * *

**Final Words  
**_Prompt: Death_

* * *

_I have never seen the group so divided._

– Devon Adair, "Survival of the Fittest" (deleted scene)

* * *

Hissing softly, Danziger pushed the shovel into the ground so that the handle would stay upright and turned his hands over to look. There were blisters and raw spots on his palms and the inside of his fingers. He should have put on a pair of gloves.

He shook his head and knelt next to the grave he'd just finished filling, curling his hands into fists. One of the blisters broke, causing another pinprick of pain. He ignored it. It was a small price to pay for what he'd done.

Across from him, the Grendler sat and looked at the grave. It hadn't moved or made a sound since he'd started covering it.

"Let me see that." It was Julia, picking his hand up and opening it back out for inspection.

"Forget it. It's nothing."

"It might get infected if you don't treat it." Not meeting his eyes, she reached into her bag for supplies. Quietly, efficiently, she sterilized both hands, applied ointment and wrapped bandages. "Keep them clean. They can come off in a day or two."

"Okay. Thanks."

"You should get some rest. We all should."

"Yeah." It was acknowledgment, not agreement. "I will."

In his peripheral vision he could see her close her bag and then sit back on her heels to look at the grave. "It seems like we should –" she trailed off. Across from her, Alonzo sat down next to the Grendler.

It came out on an exhaled breath, one Danziger hadn't even been aware he was holding. "Me too. I wish there was something we could say."

"There is." Bess knelt next to his side and laid her hands on the turned earth. Morgan stood behind her. "Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord," she began.

"And let perpetual light shine upon her," finished Alonzo.

He met Bess' startled eyes. "My grandmother was Catholic, back when it was still –" he cut off, shaking his head. "Sorry."

"It's all right," she said softly. Then, after a moment, she continued. "May her soul and the souls of all the departed rest in peace."

"Amen," murmured the rest of them in unison.

It happened without discussion. Bess sat back and reached back for Morgan's hand, resting her other one on Danziger's shoulder. Without thought for the bandages, he reached for Julia's hand. She took it gently and then reached across to Alonzo.

After a moment, Alonzo laid his free hand on the Grendler's arm. It started with surprise and looked at him, but otherwise didn't move.

"We're sorry," he said softly, emotion choking his voice. "We're all so very sorry. It isn't just him." He swallowed. "It's not much of a funeral, I know, but –"

The Grendler reared its head toward the sky and howled, a long, mournful cry. Nobody moved or spoke after it finished. Finally, it reached over and patted Alonzo's hand before quietly withdrawing its own and moving back to the sitting position it had taken while still outside the camp.

"Come on," said Bess quietly. "Let's let it have some time alone for a while."

She supported Danziger's elbow so he didn't have to use his hands when they stood. Alonzo came over and took the shovel, and they walked out of the clearing together, as a group. They were quiet. This time, there was nothing they needed to say.

* * *

_Author's Note: Bess and Alonzo's exchange is a traditional Catholic funeral prayer, although I have omitted a word. The recitation pattern they use is taken from the Requiem Mass._


	15. Memory Games

_Earth 2_ is the copyrighted property of Amblin Entertainment and Universal Studios. This is a fan story intended for entertainment purposes only. No compensation has been received or will be accepted for this work, and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended or should be implied.

* * *

**Memory Games  
**_Prompt: Table_

* * *

True looked up at Yale, still a little uncertain. "This is called four-two?"

"Right," said Yale. "A four on one die and a two on the other. Now, how do you move?"

She spoke confidently this time. "One checker goes four points and one goes two."

"Exactly."

True considered the backgammon set before them. Yale had found a discarded scrap of wood which wasn't suited for anything. Instead of letting it go to waste, he'd cut it in half and then wood-burned points onto one half and sliced the other half into sixty-four even squares. He'd debated burning a checkerboard onto the other side, but right now backgammon was enough.

Uly snorted when True began her move. "That's not the way to do it."

"Yes it is!" she protested. "I'm moving it four points, just like I'm supposed to."

"Yeah, but you ought to move that one two points." He pointed at another checker. "_That's_ the one you ought to move four."

"Why?" Her voice was starting to rise.

Yale kept his voice patient and even, intending to stop the squabble before it could begin in earnest. "True, try to think two moves ahead. What do you think Uly will do on his next move?"

She looked at him as if he were crazy. "How can I know? He hasn't rolled yet."

"Try it anyway," he answered in an encouraging tone. "What if he got five-one?"

Uly started to answer but Yale quelled him with a look. "Let her have a couple of minutes."

With an air of pained tolerance, True studied the board. "Well, if I were him, I'd move that one five points and that one, one."

"But the one is closer to his table. Why wouldn't he move that?"

"Because he'd get the one with five all the way off his table," she answered immediately. "And the one will still be far away enough that he could move it off with either a two or a three."

"Right," he answered. "Now, what if Uly rolled six-one?"

"Then he'd move that one, one point."

"Correct. Now, how can you block him from making the most advantageous move?"

"Oh! I get it now." She glared at Uly. "He's right. I should move them the other way."

"Any moron could have figured that out," he said. "Probably even faster."

"It's just a stupid game!" she shot back. "I have more important things to do most of the time. We're only playing it 'cause we're snowed in."

"You're just jealous." A sneer had crept into Uly's voice.

"You're _both_ cranky and tired. That's enough," said Devon firmly behind them. "Yale, how close are you to the end of the game?"

He only needed a glance. "In the best case, about six moves."

"Okay," she answered. "That'll take a little while, so you can finish the game tomorrow morning. Right now, it's time for bed."

This earned the expected protests out of both children, but Devon stood firm and led them away from the table. Yale picked up the backgammon board and moved it aside, careful not to disturb the checkers' positions. After placing it, he studied it for a moment, considering the potential scenarios.

In most of them, Uly won. True had held him off admirably, but she still didn't have the same grasp of strategy. She was learning fast, though, and this point would be a perfect time to stop and teach them a bit of two-dimensional reasoning. Backgammon was, of course, a perfect example for game theory.

Yale frowned suddenly. Game theory was usually a university-level topic. He was a tutor for younger children. Why was he remembering its theoretical applications so quickly and easily?

He took a deep breath as he thought about it. The simplest example was that this was a memory, not some esoteric knowledge that had been reprogrammed into his brain. In his experience, the simplest explanation tended to be the most accurate.

The thought sent his mind reeling in a dozen different directions. He shook his head, hoping to clear it. It had taken him nearly two weeks to reconcile the broken memory wash with the information that he'd received as part of his "re-education." The memories were returning in fragments, so he still trusted the programmed information more.

Each time another memory returned, it shook him.

"Yale?" He turned to find Bess behind him. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, yes," he answered too quickly. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

He took another deep breath. "I'm...experiencing another memory. But I will be all right."

"Oh," she said. "What kind of memory?"

He indicated the game board. "I'm remembering mathematical theories, studies that involved using backgammon as an example. I can..." He trailed off as the memory clarified. "I can see the calculations on a screen, remember long conversations with fellow students. They became quite animated at times."

"You were studying higher math?" she asked. "Why would you have been doing that?"

"I know that I was in graduate school when...when things happened." It was too painful to think about the details leading to his induction into the Yale program. "I don't know what I was studying."

"Maybe you were studying math."

"It's possible," he answered thoughtfully. "There are several reasons to study game theory, though."

"But I bet it's a clue." She smiled. "Maybe it'll help you remember some more. I bet you were pretty smart, and pretty special too."

He took comfort from the gentle touch of her hand. "Maybe so."

"Then that's a good thing, right?"

"I suppose," he said slowly. "The...experience of memory return is fairly chaotic." Yale realized he was shaking a little. "It's not always particularly pleasant."

"Well," she said with more sympathy. "It could be worse. It could happen when you're with the children, or driving a vehicle. Right now, it's safe."

_Safe_. The word seemed particularly ironic. "What could be safe about a broken memory wash?"

Bess looked around. "What could be safe about trying to walk halfway across the continent?"

"You have a point," he admitted.

She nodded and squeezed his hand. "We're here if you need help. There's no shame in asking, you know. Maybe we'll learn more about you sometime soon. It's pretty interesting."

"Yes," he said. "I suppose it is."

"So what's game theory, anyway?"

Smiling, he started to explain.


	16. Peace Without Quiet

_Most of this was written on a Saturday morning at a coffee house, although I'd come up with the premise a few days earlier. When I got to the coffee house, there were four patrons present and it was fairly quiet. By the time I finished and left, there were fourteen patrons and it had become pretty busy. Talk about a coincidence! _

* * *

Earth 2 is the copyrighted property of Amblin Entertainment and Universal Studios. This is a fan story intended for entertainment purposes only. No compensation has been received or will be accepted for this work, and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended or should be implied.

* * *

**Peace Without Quiet  
**_Prompt: Early_

* * *

Alonzo wrapped his hands around his cup, enjoying the warmth in his hands. It must have snowed again overnight. The ground around the bio-dome had a fresh covering of snow, disturbed only by the trail of his own footprints. This early in the morning, he was the only one out of bed.

He'd been an early riser ever since his first run as senior pilot. That was the first time he'd been the first out of cold sleep, and he'd found that the time between his waking and everyone else's was quiet and peaceful.

It was usually about the only time that was quiet aboard most ships, especially for the pilot. Cold-sleep cycles were programmed to last until a ship was near enough to its destination that piloting was necessary. Thus, by the time he woke up, it was almost time to get to work.

But he enjoyed his early wake-ups, and here on G889 that had translated itself into early mornings. He blew on his coffee -- or Bess' latest substitute, anyway -- and took a deep breath, enjoying the peace and quiet.

A few minutes later, it was interrupted. The door opened to admit Magus, who immediately took her gloves off and blew on her hands. She was breathing hard. "Cold out there."

"Mm." It would be impolite not to acknowledge her, but he wasn't in a mood to talk.

Now stripped of her outerwear, she sat down at one of the tables with a mag-pro in front of her. She began disassembling it, laying the various parts out for cleaning. What John Danziger was to vehicles, Lynne Magus was to weapons, and she was just as fanatical about keeping them in good shape.

He didn't turn around, so he didn't realize she was starting a conversation until he heard her. "I can't wait for winter to be over. We've been stuck here in the cold for too long."

"Guess so." He still didn't turn around. Couldn't she take a hint?

"You know," she continued, "the first thing I think I'll do when the snow is gone is find the nearest piece of grass and lie down for an hour. What about you?"

He shrugged. "I haven't really thought about it." Apparently he wasn't going to be able to avoid a conversation unless he left the bio-dome, so he turned around and joined her at the table. "It's probably still a long way off."

She didn't look up. "Yale says it may only be a few more weeks. Then we'll be on our way to New Pacifica again. Can't get there fast enough, if you ask me."

"Yeah." He hadn't thought about that too much either. "We've got our work cut out for us once we're there, though." But she was right; it would be better than the way things were now. Even if he wouldn't have as much of a chance to be alone in the mornings.

"Better hard work than just sitting around staring out windows." This time, she looked up briefly. "Or standing around. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." He blew on his drink again, just to have something to do. "I was just enjoying the early morning."

This time, she took the hint. An embarrassed look flickered across her face. "Sorry."

"It's all right." The damage had already been done. But, to his surprise, he realized he didn't want to get back up. "The morning's getting older anyway."

As if on cue, the door opened again and Julia stepped through. Her eyes found him. "Oh, there you are. I was wondering."

"Just enjoying the morning."

She nodded and headed over to the table to pour herself a cup of coffee. She'd been aware of his early morning habits a long time ago. "Was it worth enjoying?"

He found himself suddenly in a good mood and answered her with a smile. "Yeah, actually, it was."

"Good. I'm glad" She slid onto the bench next to him and dropped her voice to a whisper. "I thought you liked being alone in the mornings."

He slipped an arm around her, realizing that he was no longer feeling that need to be by himself. "Things don't always work out that way. It's not so bad, though."

And, he reflected inwardly, it wasn't. Somehow, over the long weeks in the snow, the presence of the other Advance team members had started to energize him instead of drain him. When had that happened?

And, he wondered, would he miss it once he'd left on the colony ship?


	17. Relativity

_Earth 2_ is the copyrighted property of Amblin Entertainment and Universal Studios. This is a fan story intended for entertainment purposes only. No compensation has been received or will be accepted for this work, and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended or should be implied.

* * *

**Relativity  
**_Prompt: Criminal_

* * *

"Yale, may I see your arm? I'd like to take a look at your command conditioning module."

He frowned, but she knew his conditioning wouldn't let him deny such a request if it came from her. Devon ran her thumb across one of the sensors to identify herself, opened the module with a screwdriver, and laid a wire across two of the contacts.

He winced at the sudden arc of electricity. "Devon!"

"I'm sorry," she said softly, wishing she'd been able to spare him. "But it's the only way I could think of to do this."

"Do what?"

"Disable your command module." She looked over her work and, satisfied, began replacing the cover. "You're not a criminal. I won't let you be treated like one anymore. But there's no protocol for deactivating the module, so..."

"You shorted it out." Taking his arm back, he cradled it against his chest. "You might have warned me."

She felt as guilty as she had when she was sixteen and he'd caught her sharing more than homework with a boy from school. To her surprise, he hadn't been upset. _You've reached your majority_, he'd said. _Next time, just tell me that you want some privacy._

Uncertain now as she had been then, she risked a smile. "I wasn't sure you'd let me."

"I'm not a criminal, Devon," he answered, an echo of pain still in his voice. "I found that out for myself in the caves. I would have let you."

Now remorse did flood through her. "Then I'm _really_ sorry."

"What's done is done, and I appreciate it. But I think I shall visit Julia for a pain block." She watched him go, absently twirling the screwdriver in her fingers. It had been an impulse, and now she realized it was poorly executed. She should have taken him to the med-tent first and administered a preventive block.

"Stop beating yourself up, Adair," said Danziger as he sat down beside her. She hadn't heard him come in. "You did the right thing."

"I know I did. I just wish I hadn't had to hurt him to do it." She shrugged. "But he's not a criminal. It had to be done."

He looked at her appraisingly for a second. "You realize that he actually still is, right? He disobeyed an order."

"He wasn't bound to obey unlawful orders! Surely a kill order wasn't lawful."

"A kill order? No. But a detain order? Yes." He took the screwdriver from her hands. It was his; he probably didn't want her to damage it. "He wasn't authorized to just let those scientists go."

"Their crime was purely political."

"A crime's a crime," he answered. "Doesn't mean it should be, but that's the way it is when the citizens decide they don't like something."

She turned to look at him. "You don't sound like you have a lot of faith in the system."

"I'm not a citizen. I don't have any say in what should be a crime." He gestured after Yale. "For what it's worth, I agree with you."

She found herself wincing, as much at his casual tone as the reminder itself. Yale wasn't the only member of their team who had suffered at the hands of the system. "You have a say in what's a crime here."

"Are you really saying we don't have to follow Station law? That's a pretty big jump, Adair."

She thought about that for a while, during which he tucked the screwdriver into his tool belt and got up to pour drinks. She took hers with a nod of thanks, but stared over the rim for a minute more. "We seem to be making our own decisions about what's right and what's wrong. We took Julia back, but the truth is that she never broke any laws."

"You just set Yale free, and that did break a law," he pointed out.

It hadn't even occurred to her until now. "Does that make me a criminal?"

"I told you I agreed with you. I don't think anyone in camp would disagree. Does that make us all into criminals?"

"No." She lapsed into silence again for a while. "But we need some sense of what's right and wrong. I used to think it was cut-and-dried, and that our legal system functioned that way, but now..." she trailed off.

"Now you're not so sure," he said, not without empathy. "So I guess it seems right and wrong can be relative after all?" It was an old argument between them, though before, it had always been purely theoretical.

She slanted a glance directly at him. "I'm not sure I'm ready for that yet. Even if I am already acting that way."

"It'll give you something to think about."

Still peering over the cup, she smiled. "That's after I get over my shock at agreeing with you."

"Hey," he quipped as he stood up. "It's all relative."


End file.
